Sotah, 9

9b

1) THE SIN OF SHIMSHON

QUESTION: The Mishnah says that Shimson sinned with his eyes by being lured
by the beauty of a foreign woman and marrying her. How could Shimshon, a
Shofet, judge, of Yisrael, about whom the Gemara (10a) says judged the
people of Yisrael like Hashem judges them, have committed such a sin?

ANSWER: The RAMBAM (Hilchos Isurei Bi'ah 13:14-16) asks this question. He
explains that Shimshon converted his wife before he married her. Why, then,
did his parents protest, and why does the Mishnah chastise him?

The Rambam explains that the Gerus was not performed by a properly ordained
Beis Din. A proper Beis Din would first investigate to see whether there
were ulterior motives for the Gerus. Shimshon, though, converted the women
in the presence of a Beis Din Shel Hedyotos, and the women whom he converted
were only Megayer in order to marry him. Therefore, they were still
prohibited to him. In addition, the Rambam adds that in the end it became
clear that they had ulterior motives and had no true intentions to be
Megayer, and in such a case the Gerus is not considered valid, since they
never really accepted the Mitzvos (Shimshon, though, thought that they would
accept the Mitzvos).

Why, then, did Shimshon try to convert these women and accept them as Gerim
when it involved such a questionable Gerus? The commentators (see KEREN
ORAH) explain that in order to bring the world to its final Tikun and the
Ge'ulah Sheleimah, the nations of the world all have to come to recognize
the role of Klal Yisrael and their closeness to Hashem, and try to attach
and humble themselves to Klal Yisrael. Shimshon -- who judged Klal Yisrael
"k'Echad," like Hashem, as our Gemara says, and in the manner of David
ha'Melech (like Rashi says in the Chumash) -- had the potential to bring
about the Ge'ulah just like the Malchei Beis David and Mashi'ach ben David.
In order to do that, though, he knew that he would have to subjugate the
nations to Klal Yisrael, and that is what he attempted to do by taking these
wives from foreign nations. David ha'Melech had a similar intent when he
married women ("Eshes Yefas To'ar") taken during the wars that he fought
(see Sanhedrin 21b). This was also Shlomo ha'Melech's intention when he
married the daughter of Pharaoh and the other foreign wives whom he
converted. (This is similar to what Chazal tell us abotu Ovadyah ha'Navi,
who prophesized the downfall of Edom because he himself was a convert from
Edom.)

Even though we know that Mashi'ach must come from the tribe of Yehudah and
from the House of David, (as Yakov Avinu hinted in his blessing for
Yehudah), the tribe of Dan always has a part in the Tikun together with
Yehudah. We find this joint effort with regard to the Mishkan, which was
built by Ahali'av (from Dan) together with Betzalel (from Yehudah).
Similarly, the Beis ha'Mikdash was built by Chiram (from Dan (maternally) --
Divrei ha'Yamim II 2:13, and Radak to Melachim I 7:14)), together with
Shlomo ha'Melech (from Yehudah).

This is further implied by the fact that both Yehudah (in Yakov's blessing)
and Dan (in Moshe's blessing) were compared to "Gur Aryeh," a lion. The Beis
ha'Mikdash (Midos 4:7) and Hashra'as ha'Shechinah in general (Hoshe'a 11:10;
Amos 3:8) are compared to the power of a lion. (The Evil Inclination that
directly opposes Hashem's worship in the Mikdash, i.e. that of Avodah Zarah,
is also represented by a lion, see Sanhedrin 64a. This, perhaps, is what is
alluded to by Shimshon ripping apart a lion with his hands and a beehive
filled with sweet honey forming in its carcass.)

Therefore, Shimshon -- from Dan -- wanted to take part in bringing the
Mashi'ach. The Midrash says that Yehudah is the most spiritually uplifted of
the tribes and Dan is the least, and in order to build the Mishkan and the
Beis ha'Mikdash, the two of them must work together. (M. Kornfeld)